Andy Brazier takes a look at Eduard's reboxed Arma Hobby 1/72nd Hawker
Hurricane Mk.1 kit.

History 

Although outperformed by newer and more advanced Spitfire design, the Hawker 

Hurricane was the workhorse of the RAF at the early stages of the WWII and stayed 

in service until the end of hostilities. It saved the Great Britain at the most critical 

time, as it accounted for more than half of the air victories during the Battle of Britain.

Aside from the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane fighters also played 

an important role in the defence of Malta, as well as in North Africa 

and other campaigns. 

It could be said, Hurricane was the real workhorse of the RAF, as 

these fighters shot down more enemy aircraft than any other type in 

British inventory during WW2. More to it, aside from its fighter role, 

Hurricane also developed into a potent close ground support aircraft 

and even a tank buster, when armed with two 40mm cannons. The 

No. 6 Squadron was very effective with these Mk.IId Hurricanes. 

Continuously upgraded throughout the war, Hurricane remained in 

production until July 1944. Altogether 24 variants were developed, 

with around 14,480 aircraft built in total. The last Hurricane (PZ865) 

rolled off the production line at Langley in July 1944.

In the box 

Packed in the standard top opening box, the Arma Hobby based kit comes with one grey plastic sprue, one clear sprue, two photo etch sheets (one pre-painted), one clear film, a mask set, instruction book, and two sheets of decals.

The main sprue holds all the parts for the Hurricane, and it is nicely moulded with no flash present and ejection pin marks pretty much tucked away.

The plastic has a very dull finish to it on the exterior sections, with the inside a little more glossy.

External detail is in the form of recessed panel lines and embossed rivets, the ribbed fabric for the rear fuselage has been reproduced very well and hasn't been overdone.

Detail for the interior is pretty good in this small scale, with the cockpit having a fair few parts. 

The instrument panels can be either multiple photo etch parts or you can use the supplied decals.

Sidewall details and the rear cockpit wall also have several P.E parts applied, once the moulded on detail is removed.

The seat comes with a multipart harness.

The floor of the cockpit is the upper middle wing section, and has P.E rudder pedals, and the control column as well as the tubular structure it all fits too installed.

The main undercarriage wheel bays are very detailed with several P.E parts, including new roofs, straps for a bottle and panels for the sidewalls. Detail abounds in this area, and once its painted and a wash applied this will really pop.

The main undercarriage legs are one piece each, and do look very flimsy, so care needs to be taken not to break them, espaically as the instructions state they should be fitted before the wing halves (upper and lower) are cemented together.

The wheels are one piece each, which saves on getting rid of a seam line, and they are weighted, which is a nice touch.

The canopy comes as a two piece , with the front screen separate. Two rear canopies are supplied, with one slightly bigger for the open/slid back option.

The canopies are pretty clear and have raised framing.

A handy set of masks for the greenhouse canopy is supplied which makes painting a lot easier.

Two photo etch frets are supplied as already mentioned, and hold on the most part various internal sections, although a few are for the external parts such as, gun openings, the air scoop door, foot steps, and other small parts.

Instructions, decals and markings 

The instruction booklet is the typical Eduard style with the build taking place over 6 pages, with internal colours and any P.E parts highlighted during the build. 

Construction looks to be pretty straightforward, with any optional parts highlighted in blue.

As usual from Eduard all internal and external colours are from the Gunze Sangyo Aqueous Hobby colour and MR Color range of paints.

Two sheets of decals are supplied, one with the unit codes, roundels, fin flashes and any squadron markings, with the smaller sheet holding the stencils.

Both are printed inhouse by Eduard, so applying them should be pretty straightforward.

Six marking options are supplied,  five of which are the brown/green uppers with Sky lowers, with the six a striking blue scheme with a Dark Earth/Stone tail section.

Full page colour guides for each option is supplied, and a page dedicated to the placement of the stencils is on the last page.

The marking options are as follows - 

A - P3878, F/O Harold A. C. Bird-Wilson, No. 17 Squadron, RAF Debden, Great Britain, July 1940.

B - P3143,  No. 3 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Duxford, Great Britain, September 1940.

C - P3675, F/Lt Michael L Robinson, No. 601 Squadron, RAF Tangmere, West Sussex, Great Britain, September 1940.

D - V7419, S/Ldr Marmaduke Thomas St John Pattie, CO of No. 33 Squadron, Larissa, Greece, March- April 1941.

E - V7743, No. 36 (Polish) Squadron, RAF Ternhill, Shropshire, Great Britain, March 1941.

F - V7101, F/Lt George Burges, No. 69 Squadron, Luqa, Malta, May-June 1941.

Conclusion

Being 1/72nd scale there isn't a great deal of parts for the base kit, but with the addition of two P.E sheets the detail will really add to the detail and brighten up the office in particular.

Nice detail, some great marking options and relatively cheap, so well worth the money.

The kit looks to be a relatively easy build, but there are a few bits to watch out for as highlighted by Kevin Brant's review of the original Arma Hobby boxing.

https://archive.aeroscale.net/review/14941/index.htm


Mfg. ID - 7099

Suggested Retail - £11.87

Related Link - https://www.eduard.com/eduard/plastic-kits/profipack/aircraft/1-72/hurricane-mk-i-1-72.html?&force_sid=10q6isvpci5edf0j0req9vsujqv5gaot


Our Thanks to Eduard!

This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. 

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.

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